A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

-inus,-a,-um (adj.A): a Latin adjectival suffix “indicates possession or resemblance; noun base; e.g. marinus, belonging to the sea (from mare, sea), ovinus, belonging to sheep (from ovis, sheep), ursinus, belonging to a bear, shaggy like a bear (from ursus, bear). This comes close to the Greek ‘inos, Latinised as ‘inus,’ indicating material or color, hence possession or resemblance, e.g. hyacinthinus, of or belonging to the hyacinth (from hyacinthus, hyacinth, Hyacinthos, pre-Greek name in Greek mythology)” (Stearn); “a termination expressing the quality of resemblance, as calycinus, like a calyx in position, in color, etc.; it also expresses augmentation, as calycinus, having a large calyx” (Lindley); “a Latin suffix, meaning, 1. resemblance; 2. augmentation” (Jackson) [> L. “enlargement of -nus; formed from nouns (divinus, uicinus); often from personal or place names (Plautinus [of or belonging to Plautus]; Latinus [of or belonging to Latium,-ii (s.n.II)); enlargement -tinus (vespertinus [of or belonging to the evening from vesper,-eris (s.m.III), the evening])” (Glare);

- alpinus, belonging to high mountains (Alps).

- “hyalinus, transparent (from hyalos, glass)” (Stearn), i.e. resembling glass.

- abietinus,-a,-um (adj.A): pertaining to or resembling Abies,-etis (s.f.III), q.v., the fir-tree.

- collinus,-a,-um (adj.A): pertaining to hills, hilly; ‘growing on low hills’ (from collis, gen.sg. is (s.m.III), high ground, a hill).

- divinus,-a,-um (adj.A): belonging to a deity (from divus, a god, deity).

- salinus,-a,-um (adj.A): pertaining to salt, growing on salty substrates (from sal, gen.sg. salis (s.m.III), salt).

- vicinus, neighboring (from vicus,-i (s.m.II), a village).

Abietinella abietina (moss): abietine, resembling a fir-tree; from the Latin noun Abies, Abietis, the fir + the Latin adjective suffix -inus, indicating resemblance; the epithet by Hedwig in reference to the shoots with pinnate branching, with unequal, remote branches.

Bryum salinum (moss): salty; from the Latin adjective salinus, salty, salty places, from the noun sal, salis, salt + the Latin adjective suffix -inus, belonging to.

Cratoneuron filicinum (moss): fern-like; from the Latin noun filix, filicis, a fern+ the Latin adjective suffix -inus, having the quality of, or resemblance to; for the pinnately divided feathery branches covered with a tomentum like a fern, the decumbent part bare of leaves like a stipe.

Polytrichum juniperinum (moss): from the Latin adjective juniperinus, resembling the juniper-tree, in Latin Juniperus, whose somewhat blue, small, appressed mature scale-leaves resemble the imbricate, involute-margined dry leaves of this species + the Latin adjective suffix -inus, belonging to.

Sanionia uncinata (moss): hooked, barbed; from the Late Latin noun uncinus, a hook, barb from the earlier noun uncus, a bend, hook + the Latin adjective suffix -inus, belonging to + the Latin adjective suffix -atus, provided with; for the sickle-shaped leaves collectively curved in one direction (falcate-secund) characteristic of the stem and branch apices.